England's Paceman Mark Wood Reveals Quiet Confidence for The Ashes Series First Test
Wood has not played a Test for over a year.
England's pace spearhead Mark Wood has stated he feels "quietly confident" about his fitness for the first Test of cricket's greatest rivalry in Australia.
Wood has not played since a Champions Trophy defeat against Afghanistan last winter and had an operation for a knee issue this spring.
The Champions Trophy and India series which came before was the 35-year-old's return from an elbow injury which sidelined him since August 2024.
"It was a frustrating summer," Wood stated. "I was unable to participate in any cricket and my knee sometimes, when you think I was nearly fit, it wasn't fully recovered."
"I faced setbacks on several occasions, but in the tent [training camp] progress has been positive. We've used the radar gun and my speed is increasing."
The first match of the Ashes starts on 21 November in Perth, with England aiming to win their first Test series in Australia in over a decade.
"With luck, I'll be performing well, bowling well in the practice games and in the nets, and can make my case for that game [Ashes opener]," Wood continued, whose last Test outing was against Sri Lanka 14 months ago.
"The rehab hasn't just been a smooth process, it's been a bit up and down, but now I'm in a better place where i'm hoping to kick on toward the match."
"I avoid making statements where I say, 'I'm fully ready, I'm ready'. I feel assured at the minute and more optimistic, so I'm cautiously hopeful."
Australia's Fitness Concerns
At the same time, Australia's concerns regarding the health of squad members have led to all-rounder Cameron Green being replaced by Marnus Labuschagne for the ODI series against India, beginning this weekend.
The Aussies also have doubts about the fitness of skipper Pat Cummins, who has not played since July because of lumbar bone stress in his back.
"Cameron Green has been ruled out of the [India] series having experienced mild side discomfort at training this week," the cricket board stated.
"Green will complete a short period of rehabilitation and is tracking to return for the third round of the Sheffield Shield to continue his preparation for the Ashes."
Round three of Australia's domestic Sheffield Shield competition is scheduled to start October 28th.
